Fire burns hotel in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood
Aug 3, 2011, 7:12 AM | Updated: Oct 10, 2012, 7:28 am
One person was critically injured in a three-alarm fire at a residence hotel near Boeing Field Wednesday morning.
Kyle Moore, Seattle Fire Department spokesperson, says the man in his 50s lived in the unit where the fire started about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Ontario motel. Firefighters found him unconscious.
“Those firefighters pulled him outside and began CPR on him. Within four compressions, he started breathing,” he said.
The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life threatening injuries.
Moore said there were also residents in rooms on the third floor.
“What we told them is to take shelter, essentially to stay in their rooms, close their doors because there were sprinklers in the hallway. The sprinklers were knocking down any flames that would have extended into the escape path,” Moore said.
Another person with a chronic illness went to a hospital, and three others with medical conditions such as high blood pressure were advised to go to a hospital.
Airport Way South was closed to traffic at South Andover Street while around 20 fire units battled the blaze at the Ontario Hotel at 4003 Airport Way South The roadway has been re-opened.
Smoke from the fire could be seen from nearby I-5, causing traffic delays in the area.
Moore says the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction. It’s been ruled accidental. The department estimates damage to be $400,000 total.
The three-story building has 54 residents in 40 units. The Red Cross is helping the displaced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
